The Curious Report: Guide to The Yarra Valley

When writing about the Yarra Valley, it’s hard not to start with the wineries. The Yarra Valley was Victoria’s first wine region with the earliest vines planted there in 1838. Today it is a world renowned producer of cool climate wines, known for its sparkling, chardonnay and pinot noir. Another time we’ll cover off some of the lesser knowns, but this is all about the classics – an essential guide for the first timer.

One of the biggest names in the Yarra Valley is Domaine Chandon, which was founded by French champagne house Moët et Chandon. At the time, the French producer was exploring new regions with the vision of producing utilising the traditional Champagne method but with grapes from new world terroirs. Argentina, Brazil and California were the first vineyards established outside of France, with the Australian outpost founded here in the 1980s. Méthode traditionnelle is the chemistry of producing bubbles through a dual fermentation process – once in the barrel and then in the bottle. If you time it right, you might be able to join a guided tour of the production process and can see Chandon’s Riddling Hall where the bottles are angled downwards in racks and ‘riddled’ (given a quarter turn daily by hand) so that the sediment from the second fermentation settles in the bottleneck for removal. Splash tastings of 6 are on offer for $12 (and redeemable on purchases), but if you’re settling in to enjoy the views on the terrace, try the tasting paddle for $25. You’ll get a glass of a Brut, Brut Rosé, Sparkling Pinot Shiraz and Curvée Riche. 

The oldest name in the Yarra Valley though, is Yering Station. The Ryrie brothers, originally from Scotland, travelled from NSW in search of land for their livestock and found 43,000 acres right here. They retained the Indigenous name for the area ‘Yering’ and whilst livestock was their focus, they were responsible for planting the first grapes in Victoria there. The cellar door is home to an approachable tasting bar ($5 to sample their estate wines) and doubles as a contemporary art gallery exhibiting new and emerging Australian artists. 

For a dose of regional Australian art and architecture at its best, head to TarraWarra. This winery houses Australia’s first philanthropically funded art gallery featuring works by famous Australian artists such as Arthur Boyd, John Brack and John Olsen. It opened in 2003, with the winning design by Allen Powell, casting dramatic clean lines and shadows in the hills. The subterranean cellar door is a more recent addition – you can do a tasting here for $10 with little pockets of light beaming into the moody underground space. If you’d prefer a brighter space, the deck is shaded by peppercorn trees and there are bean bags on the grass hill with views of Long Gully.

Need some carbs to line your stomach after drinking all that wine? Zonzo is calling your name. Food and tables are built for sharing here and to top it off, the views are especially beautiful. Choose from sharing items like pan-friend vincotto meatballs or crumbed artichoke hearts, then split some pizzas (pick one topped with buffalo mozzarella) or pastas (gnocchi with burnt butter and sage or ravioli with spanner crab and lemon).

Wander around the grounds of Meletos where the impressive vines frame the building. Find a spot in the airy cafe with a glass of wine and a meal (although not personally tried and tested) or opt to sit outside in the sunshine with a brew from Napoleone Cider as we did. The micro-brewery is also on site and has a nice, relaxed vibe.

If you’re tiring of wine, Four Pillars offers an exciting gin experience for your tastebuds. Established in 2013, this small Australian distillery imported their prized copper stills from Germany and named them after family members (Wilma, June, Eileen and Beth). They are experimental with their botanicals, using both native (tasmanian pepperberry, lemon myrtle) and international (juniper berries, ginger, lavender, angelica, star anise, cardamon, finger limes, oranges, coriander, juniper, cassia bark) ingredients. For $10 you can taste 4 of their gin offerings on the rocks – including their rare dry gin, navy strength gin, bloody shiraz gin and spice negroni gin. Serving paddles of three G&Ts and ‘design your own’ Negronis are also on the menu at this trendy warehouse conversion. 

Cheese goes hand in hand with wine, so a stop at the Yarra Valley Dairy is another must. This isn’t a fancy pants winery – you’ll find yourself in a rustic 100 year old milking shed, with countryside views over the paddocks and even the odd goat. The freshest cows milk is sourced from neighboring dairy farms, whilst the goats milk comes from the nearby pastures of Gippsland. With these high quality ingredients, a range of handmade farmhouse cheeses are produced for visitors to enjoy with freshly baked breads.

The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie will happily help you complete the trifecta of wine, cheese and chocolate. Venture inside and you will be greeted by the offering of free tastings of their white, milk and dark chocolate offerings. Not only is this generous but when you taste the quality of the chocolate, it will definitely persuade you to make a few purchases to take with you. If ice cream is more your type of treat, this is also the perfect spot to buy a scoop and enjoy the views outside.

The Yarra Valley has over 90 cellar doors in the region and these are only some of the not-so-hidden gems. Luckily being an hour from Melbourne, there’s every opportunity for you to make multiple trips (and for me to write multiple guides).